Ever wonder why your dream home pops up on Redfin but seems missing or different on Zillow? It’s not your imagination. I ran into this myself when searching for our next family place—Rohan was getting tired of sharing his room with a toy mountain, and I was stuck toggling between these sites.
The weird thing is, these platforms pull their listings from different sources and update at different times. Your house hunt gets a lot trickier if you take everything you see at face value. Sometimes Zillow shows a house that sold last week, or Redfin lists a place with a completely different price. There’s a reason for all these inconsistencies, and understanding them can actually give you an edge—especially in this crazy fast-moving market.
- How Redfin and Zillow Get Their Listings
- Why Data is Sometimes Out of Sync
- The Algorithms Behind Pricing Differences
- Tips for Buyers Stuck Between Redfin and Zillow
How Redfin and Zillow Get Their Listings
Here’s the core thing: Both Redfin and Zillow try to show you all the homes for sale, but they pull their data from different places and on different schedules. That’s why you’ll sometimes see homes that are on one site but missing from the other—or see details that just don’t match up.
Redfin has a direct connection with MLS (Multiple Listing Service) feeds, which are the databases real estate agents use to post homes for sale. Since Redfin is a licensed real estate brokerage in most areas, it gets official, near real-time access to MLS updates. That means when a new house goes on the market or one gets sold, chances are you’ll see it reflected on Redfin within minutes or a few hours.
Zillow is a bit different. It started out as a tech-focused home listings website, so for years, it got listing data from a mix of sources: public records, user submissions, broker feeds, and some MLS agreements. Some brokerages hand-feed their listings in, but in many markets, Zillow doesn’t have a direct MLS connection for real-time updates. This can lead to delays—sometimes a day or more—before new listings, price changes, or sales show up on Zillow.
- Redfin mostly uses direct MLS feeds (fast and official)
- Zillow still collects data from different sources, including paid feeds and public records (sometimes slower)
Here’s a quick side-by-side on how listings make it to each site:
| Feature | Redfin | Zillow |
|---|---|---|
| Source of Listings | Direct MLS feeds, agent submissions | Some MLS feeds, public data, broker feeds, user submissions |
| Update Speed | Usually minutes to a few hours | Can be hours or even over a day |
| Coverage | Major cities and suburbs (where Redfin has agents) | Almost all US ZIP codes, even rural |
One thing to remember: Redfin’s data tends to be fresher in big metro areas but doesn’t cover every zip code. Zillow covers pretty much everywhere—even rural spots where there might not be a Redfin agent—but with more lag and sometimes patchy info.
If you spot a hot property on Zillow and can’t find it on Redfin (or vice versa), don’t panic. It’s probably just a timing thing or due to how the local system feeds listings. When you find something you love, cross-check both platforms or call the listing agent to make sure what you’re seeing is still available.
Why Data is Sometimes Out of Sync
If you’ve spent any time swapping between Zillow and Redfin during a house hunt, you’ve probably seen that homes show up faster or drop off sooner, and sometimes the same place looks way different in the photos or price details. Let’s break down why this happens in plain English.
Redfin and Zillow both pull their info from different sources—think local Multiple Listing Services (MLS), direct feeds from agents, and even user uploads. But here’s the twist: Redfin, in most big markets, is a licensed brokerage, so it gets direct MLS feeds and sometimes even pushes updates every few minutes. Zillow, on the other hand, relies more on partnerships, syndication feeds, and even user-submitted details, and those can have delays depending on the agreement with the MLS (sometimes hours, sometimes days).
This mix means data isn’t always in sync. Here’s how the numbers actually stack up (these are real average update times from 2024):
| Platform | Average Update Frequency |
|---|---|
| Redfin | Every 5-15 minutes (in covered broker markets) |
| Zillow | Ranges from 15 minutes up to 24 hours (depending on source) |
This is why your dream home might show up on one platform and not the other—or worse, appear as “available” when it’s already sold.
As for photos, descriptions, or price drops, not every change gets pushed to every website at the exact same time. Sometimes an agent updates the MLS, and it appears on Redfin in minutes but might take a day on Zillow. Or an owner claims their home and uploads new photos on Zillow, and Redfin doesn’t pick that up right away (or ever).
Insider tip for buyers: If you see a place you love, always double-check its status by searching on both platforms—or go straight to the source on the MLS, if you can. It could save you the frustration of falling for a place that’s already gone or missing that perfect deal.
The Algorithms Behind Pricing Differences
Here’s where things get interesting—and sometimes frustrating. Redfin and Zillow both use their own fancy algorithms to spit out home values and estimates, but those formulas are built differently. That’s why you’ll see a house listed for $450,000 on one site while the other claims it's worth $470,000. I’ve seen spreads even wider when looking for investment properties.
Zillow’s estimation tool is called the Zestimate. It crunches tons of public records, past sales, tax info, user-submitted details, and comparable sales in the area. According to Zillow, as of 2025, their median error rate is about 2.3% for on-market homes. Not perfect, but better than guessing. Still, if a home hasn’t sold in years or the public records are out of date, the Zestimate gets sketchy fast.
Redfin, on the other hand, goes heavy on recent Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data, which agents use directly. Its estimate (Redfin Estimate) uses MLS info, local trends, property features, and even scans price changes as soon as they hit the system. Redfin claims a 2.08% median error rate for homes currently on the market in early 2025, which is super close to Zillow's figure but gets updated more often in many metro areas.
The real kicker is how each platform weighs the data. Zillow leans harder on broad neighborhood trends, user-submitted changes, and even weird data like how many people look at the listing. Meanwhile, Redfin relies more on hard numbers from agent databases and less on user tweaks. If your neighbor does a backyard upgrade and posts about it on Zillow, their estimate might bounce up, but Redfin won't notice unless it hits the MLS.
| Estimator | Error Rate (On-market Homes, 2025) | Main Data Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Zillow (Zestimate) | 2.3% | Public records, user updates, sales history |
| Redfin (Redfin Estimate) | 2.08% | MLS listings, agent-submitted data |
If you’re seriously looking to buy property online, don’t trust any single platform. Both tools are best for getting a sense of the ballpark, not nailing the exact fair price. Always check recent comparable sales, walk a few open houses, and if you’re stuck, ask your real estate agent to look directly at the MLS—no algorithm beats human eyes on the ground.
Tips for Buyers Stuck Between Redfin and Zillow
If you’re losing sleep checking both Redfin and Zillow, you’re not alone. Big differences between listings can make finding the right place a pain. Here are real, battle-tested moves to help you get the best out of your online house hunt:
- Check both Redfin and Zillow every time you search for a home. No one platform is always more up-to-date. Your dream home might pop up on one a day or two before the other, especially in fast markets.
- Don’t trust the price at face value. The automated value tools (like Redfin Estimate or Zestimate) use different formulas. Redfin tends to pull more directly from MLS for their prices, while Zillow’s Zestimate uses recent sales, user inputs, and sometimes lagging data. Always compare with recent sales in the neighborhood yourself.
- If you see a listing disappear from one but not the other, contact the listing agent directly. They know what’s actually going on—pending sale, price drop, or off the market.
- Set up email alerts on both platforms. This way, you won’t miss a property just because it’s delayed on one site. You can tweak the settings for price, location, or even school zones (a lifesaver for anyone house-hunting with kids like Rohan and me).
- Use the apps but double-check on your desktop. Features and updates sometimes lag on the mobile version. And sometimes, one site gives you floor plans and pricing history that the other doesn’t.
- If you’re serious about a house, get access to the local MLS through a real estate agent. Both Redfin and Zillow can sometimes be out of sync, but the MLS is the closest you’ll get to real-time info.
Both sites are powerful, but don’t let a slick app or fancy algorithm make all your decisions. Combining tips from both, and doing a little extra legwork, can actually help you beat less-prepared buyers to the punch. That’s a big deal in a hot market, and it can mean the difference between celebrating in your new place—and staring at a "pending" sign for weeks.
